By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Heading south on I-45 on a dark night just inside the entrance to Mt Olivet Cemetery in Dickinson the image of three crosses adorning a marble statue captures the attention of those who pass by. The image beckons its viewers to take a closer look.
But nighttime finds the cemetery closed, so seeking more information on this spiritual display has to be acquired during daylight hours.
In the day light hours, coming closer to the statue, one sees a woman draped with robes cradling a man who appears to be dead or unconscious with his head drooping in the woman’s arm. The man is wearing what was historically known as a loin cloth covering the area below his waist.
The woman’s eyes are bowed looking into what seems to be the location of the man’s heart; at times, her eyes seem to be piercing into his soul.
Who is this woman and who is this man? Were they lovers? Were they siblings?
Without an awareness of the history of Christianity and classic Catholic artwork, the answers are allusive. The stainless-steel crosses located behind the statue give you a sense of what the statue represents especially for those who know New Testament, Biblical teachings.
Coming in for an even closer look there is a plaque beneath the statue with the name of the original artist and his given name for the original sculpture.
“La Pieta “Pity” 1498-1499 by Michelangelo Buonarroti”
The statue in Dickinson is a replica of one of Michelangelo’s most highly acclaimed works of art. La Pieta means pity in English. The original sculpture is standing at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City and was commissioned by French Cardinal, Jean Bilhere.
Carved out of marble are Mary and her son Jesus Christ whom she cradles him in her arms.
There were numerous other representations of the Pieta during the Renaissance era, but Michelangelo’s stands out as the one that is considered a great work of art and a treasured symbol of the death of Christ and the love and sorrow of a mother.
Michelangelo made a choice to represent Mary as a young woman because she was cradling not only her son but also her father in the teachings of Christianity. His choice to represent her as a young woman stirred up some controversy.
In the end the draping of the fabric through his detailed chiseling out of the marble won over the praise and adoration of art critiques throughout time.
The marble replica of the Pieta was donated to Mt Olivet Cemetery by Mary Ellen and Charles T. Doyle. The Doyles named the replica “Our Mother of Sorrows.”
“It weighs 12,000 pounds and is a one to-one in size replica of the statue at the Vatican,” said Joann Zuniga, Media Relations for the Galveston Houston Archdiocese. Mt Olivet Cemetery is operated by the Catholic Archdiocese.
The plaque also carries the name of Cardinal Dinardo who serves the Galveston Houston Archdiocese and the name of the cometary director, Stacy Batey, along with names of other regional Catholic clergy.
Cemeteries, graveyards, and burial grounds transcend time and cultures. But who makes the decisions about the surrounding grounds? Who will tend to the vegetation and the beautification of a cemetery? These are proving to be timeless dilemmas.
In some cases, cities are taking on the responsibility. In other cases, churches are taking ownership of historic graveyards. In other situations, burial grounds have become places representing national heritage such as the Pyramids in Egypt or our own national Cemetery in Alington Virginia.
Private benefactors are also contributing to maintain the dignity and beauty of cemeteries and the Doyles have had a keen interest in Mt Olivet since the early 1980’s. Charles Doyle shared a bit of his personal history and thoughts as he drove along the roads in Mt Olivet.
He began contemplating the future of his own remains after the passing of a dear family member in 1983. “My friend asked me to take care of his final rites,” said Charles Doyle. This led to Selecting Mt Olivet Cemetery for the family friend which led to selecting his own family plot at Mt Olivet.
The monument on the Doyle family plot is made from granite out of Oklahoma where both Mary Ellen and Charles were born and raised. (At this time, he, his wife, and all of their children are alive.)
Inscribed on the back of the monument are all their names and the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
“I feel it is one of the most beautiful prayers we have in the church It’s a prayer of fullness. It gives us hope for the kind of life we want to live. It will be read at my funeral,” Charles Doyle shared as he remembered the readings of the prayer at his own parents’ funerals.
His own voice travels into the prayer and he begins to recite the well-known first stanza.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
The canting of Mr. Doyle’s voice has a soothing tone indicating years of his own personal recitation of the prayer.
Mr. Doyle points to the statue of Pope John Paul II which was one of the donations he and his wife made to the cemetery for everyone to appreciate. The statue stands near the infants’ burial grounds.
“He was the most recent pope to become a saint, so we chose him for beautification of the cemetery,” shared Charles Doyle. He also pointed out other improvements he and his wife made through the years to the cometary.
“Since I knew I was going to be here I wanted to beautify the cemetery,” shared Mr. Doyle.
Mr. Doyle reports, from the conception of the idea to bring a replica of the Pieta to Mt Olivet it took just one year to complete.
Upon commissioning the artist, he then began speaking with the many people who would be involved in making sure the statue was carefully installed at the cemetery. Updates were made to the entrance which included painting the brick wall white.
The crosses which stand behind the statue were fabricated and donated by Tennille, Inc.
Although the crosses are not part of the original artwork, staff at the archdiocese hope they will add to the solace and comfort of those who cross into the cemetery during their time of loss.
The statue was dedicated in honor of Charles and Mary Ellen’s 67th wedding anniversary.
“The statue was blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Itallo Dell’Oro CRS on September 22, 2023,” said Zuniga.
Mt St Olivet is located at 7801 Gulf Freeway (I-45 Southbound) at Hughes Road. Visiting hours begin in the morning and end at dusk.
In Preparation for All Souls Day, the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston has shared their mass schedule:
Mount Olivet will host two Masses with Bishop Dell ’Oro celebrating the first Mass at 10 a.m. on Nov. 2, Thursday. Then the second Mass at 7 p.m. will be celebrated by Father Larry Wilson, pastor of Shrine of the True Cross in Dickinson, with an evening candlelight Mass at Mount Olivet.
Father Jude Ezuma, pastor of Holy Family Parish of Galveston-Bolivar, will celebrate a 10 a.m. Mass Nov. 2 at Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum, located at 2506 65th St. in Galveston.
In Houston, Father Joseph Limanni will celebrate a 10 a.m. Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum at 3502 North Main St.
